Wireless communication apparatus, communication system and wireless communication apparatus control method to exchange services

ABSTRACT

There is provided a wireless communication apparatus including: a communication unit configured to use wireless communication to transmit and receive data related to a service provided by at least one of the wireless communication apparatus and another wireless communication apparatus with other wireless communication apparatuses present within a designated range; and a control unit configured to associate service information for identifying the service with user information for identifying a user using a wireless communication apparatus that provides the service, and include and transmit the associated information in the data.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/805,187, filed Nov. 7, 2017, which claimspriority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/761,103, filed Jul.15, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,826,394, which is a National Stage ofPCT/JP2013/079966, filed Nov. 6, 2013, and claims the benefit ofpriority from prior Japanese Patent Application JP 2013-013561, filedJan. 28, 2013, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present technology relates to a wireless communication apparatus,and more particularly relates to a wireless communication apparatus thattransmits and receives data with another wireless communicationapparatus using wireless communication, a communication system, awireless communication apparatus control method, and a program causing acomputer to execute the method.

BACKGROUND ART

In the related art, there exists wireless communication technology inwhich various data is exchanged using wireless communication. Forexample, a communication method in which nearby wireless communicationapparatuses autonomously interconnect (by ad hoc communication or in anad hoc network, for example) has been proposed (see Patent Literature 1,for example).

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

-   Patent Literature 1:

JP 2009-239385A

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

According to the above technology of the related art, two wirelesscommunication apparatuses are able to exchange various data with eachother using wireless communication, without connecting using a wiredlink. In addition, on such a network, each wireless communicationapparatus is able to communicate with nearby wireless communicationapparatuses without depending on a master station such as a controlapparatus.

In this way, it is possible to freely communicate with surroundingwireless communication apparatuses by using wireless communication.However, suppose that among the multiple wireless communicationapparatuses present nearby, there exists a wireless communicationapparatus used by a known user, and a wireless communication apparatusused by a user who is completely unknown. In such cases, in order toimprove safety, it is conceivably more preferable to receive a serviceprovided by the wireless communication apparatus used by the known user.

The present technology has been devised in light of such circumstances,and an objective thereof is to easily and safely exchange services usingwireless communication among wireless communication apparatuses.

Solution to Problem

The present technology has been made in order to solve the aboveproblems, and a first aspect thereof is a wireless communicationapparatus, a control method thereof, and a program causing a computer toexecute the method, the wireless communication apparatus including: acommunication unit configured to use wireless communication to transmitand receive data related to a service provided by at least one of thewireless communication apparatus and another wireless communicationapparatus with other wireless communication apparatuses present within adesignated range; and a control unit configured to associate serviceinformation for identifying the service with user information foridentifying a user using a wireless communication apparatus thatprovides the service, and include and transmit the associatedinformation in the data. Accordingly, such a configuration acts toassociate service information for identifying a service with userinformation for identifying a user using a wireless communicationapparatus that provides the service, include the associated informationin data, and transmit the data.

In the first aspect, when the data is received, the control unit mayjudge, on the basis of the user information included in the data,whether or not to receive a service according to the service informationassociated with the user information from another wireless communicationapparatus according to the user information. Accordingly, such aconfiguration acts to judge, on the basis of user information includedin received data, whether or not to receive a service according to theservice information associated with the user information from anotherwireless communication apparatus according to the user information.

In the first aspect, the control unit may judge whether or not toreceive the service, on the basis of whether or not the user informationincluded in the received data matches the user information registered inan allow list. Accordingly, such a configuration acts to judge whetheror not to receive a service, on the basis of whether or not userinformation included in received data matches user informationregistered in an allow list.

In the first aspect, the control unit may judge whether or not toreceive the service, on the basis of a result of a match determinationusing the allow list stored in a storage unit or the allow list storedin an external apparatus. Accordingly, such a configuration acts tojudge whether or not to receive a service, on the basis of a result of amatch determination using an allow list stored in a storage unit or anallow list stored in an external apparatus.

In the first aspect, the control unit may judge whether or not toreceive the service, on the basis of whether or not the user informationincluded in the received data matches the user information registered ina blocked list. Accordingly, such a configuration acts to judge whetheror not to receive a service, on the basis of whether or not userinformation included in received data matches user informationregistered in a blocked list.

In the first aspect, the control unit may include, in the data, andtransmit first user information which is the user information accordingto a user using the wireless communication apparatus, and second userinformation which is the user information included in the datatransmitted from another wireless communication apparatus, and also theuser information according to a user using the other wirelesscommunication apparatus. Accordingly, such a configuration acts toinclude first user information and second user information in data andtransmit the data.

In the first aspect, the control unit may include only the second userinformation for which forwarding is allowed in the data and transmitsthe data. Accordingly, such a configuration acts to include only seconduser information for which forwarding is allowed in data and transmitthe data.

A second aspect of the present technology is a wireless communicationapparatus, a control method thereof, and a program causing a computer toexecute the method, the wireless communication apparatus including: acommunication unit configured to transmit and receive data related to aservice provided by at least one of the wireless communication apparatusand another wireless communication apparatus, the data includinginformation associating service information for identifying the servicewith user information for identifying a user using a wirelesscommunication apparatus that provides the service; and a control unitthat, when the data is received, judges, on the basis of the userinformation included in the data, whether or not to receive a serviceaccording to the service information associated with the userinformation from another wireless communication apparatus according tothe user information. Accordingly, when data is received, such aconfiguration acts to judge, on the basis of user information includedin the data, whether or not to receive a service according to theservice information associated with the user information from anotherwireless communication apparatus according to the user information.

A third aspect of the present technology is a communication system, acontrol method thereof, and a program causing a computer to execute themethod, the communication system including: a first wirelesscommunication apparatus provided with a communication unit configured touse wireless communication to transmit and receive data related to aservice provided by at least one of the wireless communication apparatusand another wireless communication apparatus with other wirelesscommunication apparatuses present within a designated range, and acontrol unit configured to associate service information for identifyingthe service with user information for identifying a user using awireless communication apparatus that provides the service, and includeand transmit the associated information in the data; and a secondwireless communication apparatus provided with a communication unit thattransmits and receives the data, and a control unit that, when the datais received, judges, on the basis of the user information included inthe data, whether or not to receive a service according to the serviceinformation associated with the user information from another wirelesscommunication apparatus according to the user information. Accordingly,an effect is realized in which a first wireless communication apparatusassociates service information for identifying a service with userinformation for identifying a user using a wireless communicationapparatus that provides the service, includes and transmits theassociated information in data, while a second wireless communicationapparatus judges, on the basis of the user information included in thedata, whether or not to receive the service according to the serviceinformation associated with the user information from another wirelesscommunication apparatus according to the user information.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the present technology, the advantageous effect of beingable to easily and safely exchange services using wireless communicationamong wireless communication apparatuses may be achieved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram that illustrates an exemplary system configurationof a communication system 100 according to a first embodiment of thepresent technology.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary internalconfiguration of a first wireless communication apparatus 200 accordingto the first embodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 3 is a diagram that schematically illustrates an example of managedcontent in a user information management table 310 stored in memory 300according to the first embodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 4 is a diagram that schematically illustrates an example of managedcontent in a friend list management table 320 stored in memory 300according to the first embodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 5 is a diagram that schematically illustrates an example of managedcontent in a blocked list management table 330 stored in memory 300according to the first embodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a transmission example in a case inwhich each wireless communication apparatus constituting a communicationsystem 100 according to the first embodiment of the present technologytransmits discovery information.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating an example format of a beacontransmitted by each wireless communication apparatus constituting acommunication system 100 according to the first embodiment of thepresent technology.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example format of a beacontransmitted by each wireless communication apparatus constituting acommunication system 100 according to the first embodiment of thepresent technology.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen(registration screen 350) displayed on a display unit 280 according tothe first embodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 10 is a sequence flowchart illustrating an exemplary communicationprocess among apparatuses constituting a communication system 100according to the first embodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 11 is a sequence flowchart illustrating an exemplary communicationprocess among apparatuses constituting a communication system 100according to the first embodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing sequenceof a user information registration process by a first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200 according to the first embodiment of thepresent technology.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing sequenceof a data communication process by a first wireless communicationapparatus 200 according to the first embodiment of the presenttechnology.

FIG. 14 is a diagram that illustrates an exemplary system configurationof a communication system 400 according to a modification of the firstembodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 15 is a diagram that schematically illustrates an example ofmanaged content in a friend list management database 411 stored inmemory 300 according to a modification of the first embodiment of thepresent technology.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing sequenceof a data communication process by a first wireless communicationapparatus 200 according to a modification of the first embodiment of thepresent technology.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example format of a beacontransmitted by each wireless communication apparatus constituting acommunication system 100 according to a second embodiment of the presenttechnology.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example format of a beacontransmitted by each wireless communication apparatus constituting acommunication system 100 according to the second embodiment of thepresent technology.

FIG. 19 is a diagram that schematically illustrates a flow of discoveryinformation transmitted and received in a communication system 100according to the second embodiment of the present technology.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present technology(hereinafter designated embodiments) will be described. The descriptionwill proceed in the following order.

-   1. First embodiment (communication control: example of judging    whether or not to receive service on the basis of user information    included in discovery information)-   2. Second embodiment (communication control: example of including    user information of local apparatus and other apparatus in discovery    information to transmit data)

1. First Embodiment [Exemplary Configuration of Communication System]

FIG. 1 is a diagram that illustrates an exemplary system configurationof a communication system 100 according to a first embodiment of thepresent technology. Note that in some of the drawings, wirelesscommunication apparatuses are each abbreviated as “W. C. A.” forconvenience.

The communication system 100 is equipped with a plurality of wirelesscommunication apparatuses (first wireless communication apparatus 200,second wireless communication apparatus 102, third wirelesscommunication apparatus 103, and so on to a 13th wireless communicationapparatus 113). Each wireless communication apparatus (device)constituting the communication system 100 is, for example, a portableinformation processing apparatus (such as a smartphone, mobile phone, ortablet, for example), or a stationary information processing apparatus(such as a printer or personal computer, for example).

Herein, ad hoc communication, ad hoc networks, and the like are known ascommunication methods in which nearby wireless communication apparatusesautonomously interconnect. On such a network, each wirelesscommunication apparatus is able to communicate with nearby wirelesscommunication apparatuses without depending on a master station (forexample, a control apparatus). Accordingly, an embodiment of the presenttechnology will be described by taking an ad hoc network as an exampleof a communication method in which nearby wireless communicationapparatuses autonomously interconnect.

On an ad hoc network, if a new wireless communication apparatus is addednearby, the new wireless communication apparatus is also able to freelyjoin the network. For example, suppose a case in which, at first, onlythe first wireless communication apparatus 200, the second wirelesscommunication apparatus 102, the third wireless communication apparatus103, and so on to the eighth wireless communication apparatus 108 havejoined the ad hoc network from among the wireless communicationapparatuses illustrated in FIG. 1. In this case, suppose that the ninthwireless communication apparatus 109 to the 13th wireless communicationapparatus 113 are successively added. In this case, the network coveragemay be increased as these wireless communication apparatuses (nearbywireless communication apparatuses) increase. In other words, thenetwork coverage may be increased as the ninth wireless communicationapparatus 109 to the 13th wireless communication apparatus 113 aresuccessively added.

Herein, besides autonomously interconnecting with nearby wirelesscommunication apparatuses, each wireless communication apparatus is alsoable to forward information to be exchanged with another wirelesscommunication apparatus in a bucket relay manner.

For example, suppose that the first wireless communication apparatus 200is able to communicate directly with each of the second wirelesscommunication apparatus 102 to the fourth wireless communicationapparatus 104, but is unable to communicate directly with the otherwireless communication apparatuses because of factors such as limitedradio range. In FIG. 1, the range over which the first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200 may communicate directly (the transmissionrange based on the first wireless communication apparatus 200) isindicated as a transmission range 121. Note that the transmission range121 corresponds to the transmission range in the case of limiting theforwarding (hop) count to one time.

Even when direct communication is unavailable in this way, a wirelesscommunication apparatus capable of communicating directly with the firstwireless communication apparatus 200 (the second wireless communicationapparatus 102 to the fourth wireless communication apparatus 104) isable to forward data from the first wireless communication apparatus 200to another wireless communication apparatus. Accordingly, by forwardingdata in this way, it becomes possible for the first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200 and a wireless communication apparatus thatis unable to communicate directly with the first wireless communicationapparatus 200 to exchange information with each other. For example, itbecomes possible for the first wireless communication apparatus 200 andthe fifth wireless communication apparatus 105 that is unable tocommunicate directly with the first wireless communication apparatus 200to exchange information with each other via the third wirelesscommunication apparatus 103 (or the fourth wireless communicationapparatus 104).

A method that conducts mutual data forwarding (also called a bucketrelay) in this way and delivers information to distance wirelesscommunication apparatuses is designated a multi-hop relay. Also, anetwork that conducts multi-hop is typically known as a mesh network.

FIG. 2 illustrates a configuration of a wireless communication apparatusconstituting such an ad hoc network or mesh network.

A multi-hop relay used in an embodiment of the present technology willnow be described.

As an example, a procedure will be described in which a mesh network isformed as illustrated in FIG. 1, and the first wireless communicationapparatus 200 communicates with the fifth wireless communicationapparatus 105.

The first wireless communication apparatus 200, before startingcommunication with the fifth wireless communication apparatus 105,specifies which communication route to use (which wireless communicationapparatus to traverse). For example, the first wireless communicationapparatus 200 exchanges communication routing information with eachneighboring wireless communication apparatus, on the basis of aprocedure conforming to an established communication routing protocol.

For example, a procedure determined by the standard of the OptimizedLink State Routing Protocol (OLSR) of RFC 3626 published by the IETF maybe used. As another example, a procedure determined by a standard suchas the IEEE Standard for Information Technology—Telecommunications andinformation exchange between systems—Local and metropolitan areanetworks—Specific requirements, Part 11: Wireless LAN Medium AccessControl (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) specifications, Amendment 10:Mesh Networking (commonly known as IEEE 802.11s) published by the IEEEmay be used.

On the basis of these procedures, the first wireless communicationapparatus 200 is able to detect that communication with the fifthwireless communication apparatus 105 is possible by traversing the thirdwireless communication apparatus 103, without needlessly wasting radioresources. For example, it is possible to detect that communication ispossible without needless waste, on the basis of factors such as a smallnumber of relay nodes, minimal transmission delay, and minimal timeoccupying a frequency channel for transmission.

The information used for the detection is held internally in eachwireless communication apparatus as communication route information, andwhen a packet is actually transmitted or received, the information isreferenced to search for which wireless communication apparatus thepacket should be transmitted to next in order to make the packet reachthe final destination.

In the procedure discussed above, the first wireless communicationapparatus 200 acquires communication route information that is valid upto the fifth wireless communication apparatus 105. Subsequently, on thebasis of the acquired communication route information, the firstwireless communication apparatus 200 transmits a packet addressed to thefifth wireless communication apparatus 105 to the third wirelesscommunication apparatus 103. The third wireless communication apparatus103 receives the packet, and on the basis of internally heldcommunication route information, forwards the received packet addressedto the fifth wireless communication apparatus 105 to the fifth wirelesscommunication apparatus 105.

Note that the creation of the above communication route information isalso conducted with respect to all wireless communication apparatusesconnected to the mesh network in some cases. However, in some cases,such as when there is an extremely large number of wirelesscommunication apparatuses present on the network, the overhead relatedto the creation of communication route information increases due tofactors such as control packets. Accordingly, to reduce the overheadrelated to the creation of communication route information due tofactors such as control packets, a limit on the number of times thateach packet is forwarded may be imposed as discussed earlier, forexample.

At this point, suppose that in the example illustrated in FIG. 9, amusic service is received from the fifth wireless communicationapparatus 105 via the third wireless communication apparatus 103, asindicated by the arrow 131. In addition, suppose that an image serviceis received from the seventh wireless communication apparatus 107 viathe fourth wireless communication apparatus 104, as indicated by thearrow 132.

In addition, a setup that uses an ad hoc network or mesh network tocirculate content while freely communicating with nearby apparatus isconceivable. In order to realize such a setup, it is necessary toannounce to nearby apparatus which wireless communication apparatus isholding which content and is able to supply content.

For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B, by including discoveryinformation (service information 157) in a beacon periodicallytransmitted by each wireless communication apparatus, it is possible toannounce to nearby equipment the services providable by each wirelesscommunication apparatus. In addition, by searching for beacons, eachwireless communication apparatus is able to discover wirelesscommunication apparatuses present nearby. In this case, it is alsopossible to detect what kinds of services are provided by the discoveredwireless communication apparatus.

At this point, suppose that among the multiple wireless communicationapparatuses present nearby, there exists a wireless communicationapparatus used by a known user, and a wireless communication apparatusused by a user who is completely unknown. For this reason, whenreceiving a service, for example, it is possible to receive the servicefrom the wireless communication apparatus being used by the known user,and it is also possible to receive the service from the wirelesscommunication apparatus being used by the completely unknown user. Insuch cases, in order to improve safety, it is conceivably morepreferable to receive a service provided by the wireless communicationapparatus used by the known user. Accordingly, in an embodiment of thepresent technology, user information (the user information 158illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B) is included in the discovery informationand transmitted, and it is judged whether or not to receive a service onthe basis of the user information.

Herein, discovery information is information that is used whendiscovering a service that another wireless communication apparatus isable to provide (information for reporting the services provided by eachwireless communication apparatus). For example, the service information157 and the user information 158 illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7Bcorrespond to discovery information. Note that service information anduser information will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 7Aand 7B. In addition, discovery information may also be understood asservice discovery information.

[Exemplary Configuration of Wireless Communication Apparatus]

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary internalconfiguration of a first wireless communication apparatus 200 accordingto the first embodiment of the present technology. Note that since theinternal configuration of other wireless communication apparatuses isthe same as the first wireless communication apparatus 200, herein, onlythe first wireless communication apparatus 200 will be described, anddescription of the other wireless communication apparatuses will beomitted.

The first wireless communication apparatus 200 is equipped with antenna210, a communication unit 220, an input/output (I/O) interface 230, acontrol unit 240, and memory 300. In addition, these components areconnected via a bus 250.

The communication unit 220 is a module for transmitting and receivingradio waves via the antenna 210 (a modem, for example). For example, thecommunication unit 220 is able to conduct wireless communication viamillimeter wave communication (such as 60 GHz), 5 GHz wireless localarea network (LAN), or ultra wideband (UWB). As another example, thecommunication unit 220 is able to conduct wireless communication viavisible light communication or near field communication (NFC).

For example, the communication unit 220, on the basis of control by thecontrol unit 240, uses wireless communication to transmit and receivediscovery information (the service information 157 and the userinformation 158 illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B) with other wirelesscommunication apparatuses present within a predetermined range. Inaddition, the communication unit 220, on the basis of control by thecontrol unit 240, uses wireless communication to transmit and receivedata related to services provided by each wireless communicationapparatus with other wireless communication apparatuses present within apredetermined range. In this case, the communication unit 220 is alsoable to forward data related to services provided by one wirelesscommunication apparatus to another wireless communication apparatus. Inother words, the communication unit 220 is able to use wirelesscommunication to transmit and receive data related to a service providedby at least one of the first wireless communication apparatus 200 andanother wireless communication apparatus to other wireless communicationapparatuses present within a predetermined range. Herein, suppose thatthe predetermined range is a range based on the position of the firstwireless communication apparatus 200, for example, and means a range inwhich the communication unit 220 is able to transmit and receive datausing wireless communication. In addition, suppose that another wirelesscommunication apparatus present within the predetermined range is awireless communication apparatus adjacent to the first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200, for example, and is a wirelesscommunication apparatus that is able to transmit and receive data withthe first wireless communication apparatus 200 using wirelesscommunication.

Note that the communication unit 220 may be configured to conductwireless communication using radio waves (electromagnetic waves), andmay also be configured to conduct wireless communication using a mediumother than radio waves (for example, wireless communication conductedusing a magnetic field).

In addition, the communication unit 220 establishes a communication linkand conducts bidirectional communication with adjacent wirelesscommunication apparatuses, and in addition, manages the number ofadjacent wireless communication apparatuses able to communicate with thefirst wireless communication apparatus 200, and stores informationindicating the number of adjacent wireless communication apparatusesthat are able to communicate (communicable count information). Inaddition, the communication unit 220 periodically or non-periodicallyobserves the occupancy of the channel used for wireless communication,and stores information indicating the degree to which the communicationlinks around the first wireless communication apparatus 200 arecongested (congestion information). In addition, the communication unit220 observes the link quality (such as the received signal power andtransmittable data rate) with adjacent wireless communicationapparatuses conducting wireless communication, and stores informationindicating how much bandwidth is available for wireless communicationwith an adjacent wireless communication apparatus (communication statusinformation). Subsequently, the communication unit 220 supplies therespective information to the control unit 240.

[Exemplary Configuration of Wireless Communication Apparatus]

The I/O interface 230 is an interface with external apparatus such assensors and actuators that operate in conjunction with the firstwireless communication apparatus 200. FIG. 2 illustrates an example inwhich a movement detection unit 260, an operation receiving unit 270, adisplay unit 280, and an audio output unit 290, for example, areconnected to the I/O interface 230 as external apparatus. Also, althoughFIG. 2 illustrates an example of providing the movement detection unit260, the operation receiving unit 270, the display unit 280, and theaudio output unit 290 externally to the first wireless communicationapparatus 200, some or all of these may also be built into the firstwireless communication apparatus 200.

The movement detection unit 260 detects movement of the first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200 by detecting properties such as theacceleration, motion, and orientation of the first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200, and outputs movement information related tothe detected movement to the control unit 240 via the I/O interface 230.For example, the movement detection unit 260 stores, and supplies to thecontrol unit 240, movement information indicating whether or not thefirst wireless communication apparatus 200 has moved location (a log (orreal-time information related to the movement)). For the movementdetection unit 260, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, and a GlobalPositioning System (GPS) receiver may be used, for example. For example,the movement detection unit 260 may use position information detectedusing GPS (for example, latitude and longitude) to compute the movementdistance of the first wireless communication apparatus 200 (for example,the movement distance per unit time).

The operation receiving unit 270 is an operation receiving unit thatreceives operating input performed by a user, and outputs operatinginformation corresponding to received operating input to the controlunit 240 via the I/O interface 230. The operation receiving unit 270 isrealized with a touch panel, keyboard, or mouse, for example.

The display unit 280 is a display unit that displays various information(for example, the registration screen 350 illustrated in FIG. 9) on thebasis of control by the control unit 240. Note that for the display unit280, a display panel such as an organic electroluminescence (EL) panelor a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel may be used, for example. Notethat the operation receiving unit 270 and the display unit 280 may alsobe integrated by using a touch panel that enables a user to performoperating input by bringing a finger in contact with or in proximity toa display screen.

The audio output unit 290 is an audio output unit (for example, aspeaker) that outputs various audio on the basis of control by thecontrol unit 240.

The controller 240 controls the operation of each component of firstwireless communication apparatus 200 on the basis of a control programstored in the memory 300. For example, the control unit 240 conductssignal processing on transmitted and received information. Also, thecontrol unit 240 is realized by a central processing unit (CPU).

The memory 300 is memory that stores various information. For example,various information (for example, a control program) required for thefirst wireless communication apparatus 200 to conduct desired operationis stored in the memory 300. In addition, various content such as musiccontent and image content (for example, moving image content and stillimage content) are stored in a content storage area of the memory 300.

In addition, a user information management table 310 for managing userinformation (illustrated in FIG. 3) and a friend list management table320 for managing a friend list (illustrated in FIG. 4) are stored in thememory 300. In addition, a blocked list management table 330 formanaging a blocked list (illustrated in FIG. 5) is stored in the memory300.

For example, when transmitting data using wireless communication, thecontrol unit 240 processes information read out from the memory 300, asignal input from the I/O interface 230, or the like, and generates achunk of data (transmission packet) to actually transmit. Subsequently,the control unit 240 outputs the generated transmission packet to acommunication unit 220. Also, the communication unit 220, afterconverting the transmission packet into the format of a communicationscheme for actual transmission and the like, externally transmits theconverted transmission packet from an antenna 210.

As another example, when receiving data using wireless communication,the communication unit 220 extracts a received packet by having areceiver built into the communication unit 220 perform signal processingon a radio signal received via an antenna 210. Subsequently, the controlunit 240 interprets the extracted and received packet. If, as a resultof the interpretation, the extracted and received packet is judged to bedata that should be stored, the control unit 240 writes the data to thememory 300. Further, if the extracted and received packet is judged tobe data that should be forwarded to another wireless communicationapparatus, the control unit 240 outputs the data to the communicationunit 220 as a transmission packet to be forwarded to another wirelesscommunication apparatus. Also, if the extracted and received packet isjudged to be data that should be forwarded to an external actuator, thecontrol unit 240 externally outputs the data from the I/O interface 230(for example, to the display unit 280).

For example, the control unit 240 may provide various content stored inthe memory 300 to another wireless communication apparatus usingwireless communication. Also, the control unit 240 generates userinformation (the user information 158 illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B) onthe basis of the user information management table 310 in the memory300, and transmits discovery information including the generated userinformation to another wireless communication apparatus.

Note that when the first wireless communication apparatus 200 is drivenby a battery, a battery is installed onboard the first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200 (either built-in or inserted). In this case,the control unit 240 is equipped with a function of estimating theremaining battery level, and is able to acquire the estimated remainingbattery level on demand.

[Example Content of User Information Management Table]

FIG. 3 is a diagram that schematically illustrates an example of managedcontent in a user information management table 310 stored in memory 300according to the first embodiment of the present technology.

The user information management table 310 is a table for managinginformation related to users who use the first wireless communicationapparatus 200 (user information). Herein, it is anticipated that thefirst wireless communication apparatus 200 may also be used by multipleusers (a family, for example). For this reason, FIG. 3 illustrates anexample of the user information management table 310 managing userinformation related to multiple users.

Herein, user information is information for identifying a user who usesthe first wireless communication apparatus 200. In addition, userinformation may also be understood as owner information. In addition,user information has a one-to-one correspondence with serviceinformation (the service information 157 illustrated in FIGS. 7A and7B).

Specifically, in the user information management table 310, managementinformation 311, a name 312, an identifier (ID) class 313, a user ID314, and related information 315 are stored in association with eachother. Note that FIG. 3 illustrates an example registration in whichuser information related to four family members (father, mother,daughter, son) is registered.

The management information 311 is information for managing, in units ofusers, user information to be registered.

The name 312 stores a name for identifying a user (for example, apersonal name or a nickname). For example, the name 312 stores a namefrom an input operation by a user.

The ID class 313 stores an identifier indicating the class of the userID. Also, the ID class is a unique ID across the entire system. In FIG.3, for example, the ID class of an email address is expressed as“0x0001”, the ID class of an account for a short message informationservice is expressed as “0x001e”, and the ID class specific to alocation is expressed as “0x003f”. Note that the ID class specific to alocation is, for example, an ID used at the location where the user ispresent, and may be an employee ID number or a student ID number, forexample.

The user ID 314 stores, for each ID class 313, an ID for identifying theuser (identification information (for example, information made up ofletters, numbers, and symbols)). For example, “xxx@foo.org” (emailaddress) is stored as the user ID 314 corresponding to the ID class 313“0x0001”.

The related information 315 stores various information related to theuser. For example, information for identifying the user (for example, animage or code for identifying the user) is stored. For example, a personmay be identified by causing the information stored in the relatedinformation 315 to be displayed on another wireless communicationapparatus.

A method of registering user information in the user informationmanagement table 310 will now be described. For example, registration inthe user information management table 310 may be conducted according toinput operations by the user. For example, when a user inputs some kindof ID into an application running on the first wireless communicationapparatus 200, the input ID may be acquired and registered as a user ID.This registration example will be described in detail with reference toFIG. 12. In addition, it is also possible to write user information tothe user information management table 310 during the process ofmanufacturing the first wireless communication apparatus 200. In thiscase, the first wireless communication apparatus 200 is shipped in astate in which user information is registered in the user informationmanagement table 310.

In addition, when the first wireless communication apparatus 200 isshared among multiple people, an ID for identifying a user or a usergroup may also be conceivably registered as a user ID. For example, on atablet used by a family, it is possible for an ID for identifying thefamily to be registered as a user ID. The user ID in this case functionsas an ID for identifying all users constituting the family (for example,father, mother, daughter, son).

Note that although FIG. 3 illustrates an example of collectivelymanaging multiple users with the user information management table 310,a user information management table may also be prepared for each user,and each user may be managed separately.

In addition, it is also possible to modify user information stored inthe user information management table 310 according to externally giveninformation.

[Example Content of Friend List Management Table]

FIG. 4 is a diagram that schematically illustrates an example of managedcontent in a friend list management table 320 stored in memory 300according to the first embodiment of the present technology.

The friend list management table 320 is a table for managing a list(friend list) of peers (for example, friends and acquaintances of theuser) permitted to use the first wireless communication apparatus 200 toreceive various services. Herein, the friend list is a list used whenjudging whether or not user information transmitted from an adjacentwireless communication apparatus has a relationship with a user (orowner) who uses the first wireless communication apparatus 200. In otherwords, the friend list may be understood as an allow list.

Specifically, in the friend list management table 320, an ID class 321,a user ID 322, and communication history information 323 are sorted byeach ID class and stored in association with each other.

The ID class 321 stores an identifier indicating the class of the userID. Note that the ID class 321 corresponds to the ID class 313illustrated in FIG. 3.

The user ID 322 stores, for each ID class 321, a user ID for identifyingthe user. Note that the user ID 322 corresponds to the user ID 314illustrated in FIG. 3.

The communication history information 323 stores information(communication history information) related to communication conductedwith a wireless communication apparatus used by a user whose user ID isstored in the user ID 322. In the communication history information 323,communication times and communication durations are successively logged,for example. Note that the communication history information 323 mayalso be configured to log only the most recent communication historyinformation.

Herein, registration in the friend list management table 320 isconducted according to an input operation by the user, or a registrationoperation by the user using user information included in receiveddiscovery information. Note that the registration operation using userinformation included in discovery information will be described indetail with reference to FIG. 9.

In addition, registration in the friend list management table 320 mayalso be conducted according to a result of querying an external database(for example, the friend list management database 411 illustrated inFIG. 14). For example, if a user is determined to have a relationshipwith a user who uses the first wireless communication apparatus 200 as aresult of querying an external database, the user information related tothat user may be registered automatically in the friend list managementtable 320.

Note that the number of entries in the friend list management table 320is also expected to become larger than necessary. In such cases, on thebasis of the communication history information stored in thecommunication history information 323, the user IDs with the oldest lastcommunication time may be successively removed from among the user IDsstored in the user ID 322. Consequently, the number of entries in thefriend list management table 320 may be kept within a designated value.

Note that although FIG. 4 illustrates an example in which the firstwireless communication apparatus 200 is provided with one friend list, afriend list may also be created and used for each of multiple users (forexample, a family). In this way, when using a friend list for each ofmultiple users, the friend list to use for a determination process (forexample, the processing in step S912 illustrated in FIG. 13) is changedaccording to the user who is actually using the first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200.

In addition, a friend list management table categorized according thetype of friend (such as the closeness of a friend (for example, closefriends and not particularly close friends), friends from work, andfriends from school, for example) may also be created and used. In thiscase, one friend list management table may be created for each user, orone friend list management table may be created for multiple people. Inaddition, multiple friend list management tables may also be createdaccording to the type of friend. When categorizing friends in this way,for example, different processes may be conducted when permitting thereceiving of various services, depending on the type of friend (forexample, automatic permission, or permission only when a designatedcondition is satisfied).

[Example Content of Blocked List Management Table]

FIG. 5 is a diagram that schematically illustrates an example of managedcontent in a blocked list management table 330 stored in memory 300according to the first embodiment of the present technology.

The blocked list management table 330 is a table for managing peers (forexample, persons unknown to the user) blocked from using the firstwireless communication apparatus 200 to receive various services. Notethat the blocked list may also be referred to as a blacklist.

Specifically, in the blocked list management table 330, an ID class 331and a user ID 332 are stored in association with each other.

Note that the ID class 331 and the user ID 332 correspond to the IDclass 321 and the user ID 322 illustrated in FIG. 4.

Herein, registration in the blocked list management table 330 isconducted according to an input operation by the user, or a registrationoperation by the user using user information included in receiveddiscovery information. Note that the registration operation using userinformation included in discovery information will be described indetail with reference to FIG. 9.

In addition, registration in the blocked list management table 330 mayalso be conducted according to registered content in the friend listmanagement table 320. For example, on the basis of registered content inthe friend list management table 320, if a user is determined to nothave a relationship with a user who uses the first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200, the user information related to that usermay be registered automatically in the blocked list management table330.

In addition, registration in the blocked list management table 330 mayalso be conducted according to a result of querying an external database(for example, the friend list management database 411 illustrated inFIG. 14). For example, if a user is determined to not have arelationship with a user who uses the first wireless communicationapparatus 200 as a result of querying an external database, the userinformation related to that user may be registered automatically in theblocked list management table 330.

[Example Transmission of Discovery Information]

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a transmission example in a case inwhich each wireless communication apparatus constituting a communicationsystem 100 according to the first embodiment of the present technologytransmits discovery information.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of periodically (or non-periodically)transmitting a beacon (beacon signal) including discovery information.Also, FIG. 6 illustrates an example of beacon transmission with thehorizontal axis representing the time axis. In other words, FIG. 6diagrammatically illustrates beacons 141 to 143 successively transmittedin a time series.

Herein, discovery information is information that is used whendiscovering a service that another wireless communication apparatus isable to provide, and is the local apparatus service information 157 andthe other apparatus service information 158 illustrated in FIGS. 7A and7B, for example.

Note that although an embodiment of the present technology illustratesan example of including and transmitting service information and userinformation, in association with each other, in a beacon, the serviceinformation and the user information may also be included in differentsignals and transmitted.

[Example Format of Discovery Information]

FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 8 are diagrams illustrating an example format of abeacon transmitted by each wireless communication apparatus constitutinga communication system 100 according to the first embodiment of thepresent technology. Note that FIG. 7A illustrates an example format ofservice information 157 included in beacon information 153, while FIG.7B illustrates an example format of user information 158 included inbeacon information 153. Also, FIG. 8 illustrates example content of aservice announcement field included in the service information 157.

The beacon 150 includes a preamble 151, a header 152, and beaconinformation 153.

The preamble 151 is information indicating the existence of a packet(beacon). In other words, each wireless communication apparatusconstituting the communication system 100 is able to detect theexistence of a beacon by receiving the preamble 151.

The header 152 is placed in a predetermined position of the packet, andstores information related to the packet (beacon) itself. For example,the header 152 stores information such as the source, destination, andsize of the packet (information related to the packet (beacon) itself).In other words, each wireless communication apparatus constituting thecommunication system 100 decodes and analyzes the header. As a result ofthis analysis, each wireless communication apparatus constituting thecommunication system 100 is able to detect which wireless communicationapparatus transmitted a signal addressed to which wireless communicationapparatus, and also the signal type of the signal (such as whether ornot the signal is a beacon).

The beacon information 153 is information to announce to each wirelesscommunication apparatus constituting the communication system 100. Inother words, each wireless communication apparatus constituting thecommunication system 100 includes and transmits information that shouldbe announced to other wireless communication apparatuses in the beacon.

Next, the beacon information 153 will be described in detail.

The beacon information 153 includes time information 154, a network ID155, a network attribute 156, service information 157, user information158, and other information 159.

The time information 154 is time information indicating the time atwhich the beacon that includes the information was transmitted from thesource wireless communication apparatus.

The network ID 155 is information indicating an ID of the networkconstituted by the source wireless communication apparatus.

The network attribute 156 is information indicating an attribute of thenetwork constituted by the source wireless communication apparatus.

The service information 157 is information related to a service providedby the source wireless communication apparatus (service information).

The user information 158 is information related to a user who uses thesource wireless communication apparatus (user information).

The other information 159 is information other than the aboveinformation.

Next, the service information 157 and the user information 158 will bedescribed.

As illustrated in FIG. 7A, the service information 157 is made up ofinformation fields, namely an element ID 160, a length 161, and serviceannouncement fields [0] to [N] 162.

The element ID 160 is an element ID indicating that service informationis stored.

The length 161 is a length indicating the length of the serviceinformation element.

The service announcement fields [0] to [N] 162 are made up of one or aplurality of (for example, N) service announcement fields. One serviceannouncement field is placed for each service provided by thecorresponding wireless communication apparatus. For example, threefields are placed for a wireless communication apparatus that providesthree services.

The service announcement fields [0] to [N] 162 store a service type 163,a content ID 164, a content attribute 165, ranking information 166, acache recommendation 167, a clone degree 168, and redistributioninformation 169. Note that each piece of information will be describedin detail with reference to FIG. 8.

As illustrated in FIG. 7B, the user information 158 is made up ofinformation fields, namely an element ID 170, a length 171, and IDs [0]to [M] 172.

The element ID 170 is an element ID indicating that user information isstored.

The length 171 is a length indicating the length of the user informationelement. The user ID fields [0] to [M] 172 are made up of one or aplurality of (for example, M) user ID fields. One user ID field isplaced for each user ID registered by a user who uses the correspondingwireless communication apparatus. For example, there are placed a numberof fields equal to the number of user IDs stored in the user ID 314 ofthe user information management table 310 illustrated in FIG. 3.

At this point, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the user information ofmultiple users may be registered in the user information managementtable 310. In this case, it may be configured so that only the user IDregistered by the user who is actually using the first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200 is transmitted. In other words, only a userID field related to the user ID registered by the user who is actuallyusing the first wireless communication apparatus 200 is placed.

The user ID fields [0] to [M] 172 store an ID class 173, a user ID 174,and related information 175. Herein, each of the ID class 173, the userID 174, and the related information 175 stores each of the ID class 313,the user ID 314, and the related information 315 illustrated in FIG. 3,respectively.

Next, the service announcement field will be described with reference toFIG. 8.

The service type 163 is information for identifying the details of aservice (such as content delivery). In addition, the service type 163may also include information (limitation information to limit theforwarding count) indicating how many more times the discoveryinformation may be forwarded. By including this limitation information,it is possible to prevent the service discovery information related to aservice from being forwarded a number of times exceeding the count.Also, a wireless communication apparatus that receives the discoveryinformation may also decide, on the basis of the information in theservice type 163, whether or not to receive a service identified by theservice type 163. Note that an example of forwarding discoveryinformation will be illustrated in a second embodiment of the presenttechnology.

The content ID 164 is an ID for identifying a service. A wirelesscommunication apparatus that transmits or receives the discoveryinformation manages the receiving of a service identified by the contentID 164 on the basis of the information of the content ID 164, andgenerates fee information as required.

The content attribute 165 is information that indicates the bit capacityrequired to provide the service, a group able to receive the service, anauthentication method required to receive the service, and the like.Herein, the group able to receive the service may be, for example,friends (that is, the wireless communication apparatuses possessed bythe friends) of the user who possesses the wireless communicationapparatus that provides the service. In this case, an authenticationmethod for identifying a friend may be used to judge whether or not awireless communication apparatus belongs in the group. In addition, agroup able to receive the service may also be taken to be the members ofa designated service, for example. In this case, an authenticationmethod that proves membership may be used to judge whether or not awireless communication apparatus belongs in the group. In addition, awireless communication apparatus that receives discovery information mayalso decide, on the basis of the information in the content attribute165, whether or not to receive the corresponding service, or whether ornot the corresponding service is receivable. In this way, the contentattribute 165 is information indicating which wireless communicationapparatuses may access the corresponding content, and in addition, howthe corresponding content may be accessed.

The ranking information 166 is information that indicates the assessmentof the service (content) (for example, whether the frequency of accessto the service (content) is high or low). A wireless communicationapparatus that transmits discovery information may decide, on the basisof the information in the ranking information 166, whether or not toannounce the discovery information to the next wireless communicationapparatus, or how frequently to announce the discovery information. Awireless communication apparatus that receives the discovery informationmay decide, on the basis of the information in the ranking information166, whether or not to cache the received content. For example, it ispreferable to configure the ranking information 166 so that high-rankingservices are announced and received.

The cache recommendation 167 is information that indicates arecommendation of how much the service should be cached for neighboringwireless communication apparatuses (a recommended degree). A wirelesscommunication apparatus that transmits discovery information configuresa setting that raises the recommended degree in the case of judging thatthe service is accessed frequently and the service should be provided toother wireless communication apparatuses. Also, a wireless communicationapparatus that receives the discovery information may decide, on thebasis of the information in the cache recommendation 167, whether or notto receive and cache content.

The clone degree 168 is information that indicates how many times aservice (content) has been copied from the original, or alternatively,how many more times copying is allowed. A wireless communicationapparatus that receives the discovery information is controlled to beunable to store a copy equal to or greater than a count determined bythe clone degree 168.

The redistribution information 169 is information that indicates whetheror not a wireless communication apparatus that receives the discoveryinformation may cache and redistribute a service (content). In awireless communication apparatus that receives the discoveryinformation, the need to cache and redistribute a service (content) iscontrolled on the basis of the information in the redistributioninformation 169.

For example, if the first wireless communication apparatus 200illustrated in FIG. 1 broadcasts a beacon, the beacon is received by thesurrounding wireless communication apparatuses (the second wirelesscommunication apparatus 102 to the fourth wireless communicationapparatus 104). Subsequently, the second wireless communicationapparatus 102 to the fourth wireless communication apparatus 104 areable to detect, on the basis of the header of the received beacon, thatthe beacon is a beacon transmitted from the first wireless communicationapparatus 200. Also, by checking the details of the beacon information153 included in the received beacon, the second wireless communicationapparatus 102 to the fourth wireless communication apparatus 104 areable to ascertain a service that the first wireless communicationapparatus 200 is able to provide and the like.

For example, suppose a case in which the beacon 150 transmitted from thefirst wireless communication apparatus 200 is received by the secondwireless communication apparatus 102 to the fourth wirelesscommunication apparatus 104. In this case, the second wirelesscommunication apparatus 102 to the fourth wireless communicationapparatus 104 are able to detect, on the basis of the network attribute156 included in the received beacon, that the source first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200 exists as part of a network nearby. Inaddition, attributes of the network are identified by the networkattribute 156.

In addition, the second wireless communication apparatus 102 to thefourth wireless communication apparatus 104 are able to acquire, on thebasis of the service announcement fields 162 included in the receivedbeacon 150, information related to various services receivable via thefirst wireless communication apparatus 200.

In addition, the second wireless communication apparatus 102 to thefourth wireless communication apparatus 104 are able to acquire, on thebasis of the user ID fields 172 included in the received beacon 150,user information related to a user who uses the first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200. Additionally, the second wirelesscommunication apparatus 102 to the fourth wireless communicationapparatus 104 are able to determine, on the basis of the acquired userinformation, whether or not to exchange services with the first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200 using wireless communication.

[Example Display Screen for Registering User Information Using ReceivedDiscovery Information]

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen(registration screen 350) displayed on a display unit 280 according tothe first embodiment of the present technology.

The registration screen 350 is a display screen for registering userinformation using discovery information received by the first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200. In addition, the registration screen 350 isdisplayed on the basis of discovery information (the service information157 and the user information 158 illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B) that istransmitted from each wireless communication apparatus constituting thecommunication system 100.

On the registration screen 350, a registration selection 351, a service352, a user ID 353, and related information 354 are displayed for eachservice (each source wireless communication apparatus). Also displayedon the registration screen 350 are an arrow button 355, an OK button356, and a Back button 357.

The registration selection 351 is an area for selecting whether or notto register the user information of the user who uses the wirelesscommunication apparatus that transmitted the discovery information. Inthe registration selection 351, radio buttons are displayed, forexample, and either “Register” or “Do not register” is selected.

In the service 352, the service (a service that the first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200 is able to receive) identified by theservice information 157 (illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B) included in thereceived discovery information is displayed. The service is displayed onthe basis of the discovery information (the service type 163 illustratedin FIGS. 7A and 7B), for example.

In the user ID 353, the content of the user ID 174 (illustrated in FIGS.7A and 7B) included in the user information 158 (illustrated in FIGS. 7Aand 7B) included in the received discovery information is displayed.Note that when multiple user ID fields are included in the userinformation 158 included in the received discovery information, eachuser ID is displayed.

In the related information 354, the content of the related information175 (illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B) included in the user information158 (illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B) included in the received discoveryinformation is displayed. For example, if the related information 175stores an image enabling one to grasp the user corresponding to the userID (for example, a penguin, dog, or likeness), that image is displayed.

The arrow button 355 is a button pressed to display information relatedto other discovery information in the case of a large amount of receiveddiscovery information. When the arrow button 355 is pressed, informationrelated to other discovery information is successively displayed inresponse to the pressing operation.

The OK button 356 is a button pressed when confirming whether or not toregister entries selected by a user operation.

The Back button 357 is a button pressed when going back to thepreviously displayed display screen.

[Communication Example]

FIG. 10 is a sequence flowchart illustrating an exemplary communicationprocess among apparatuses constituting a communication system 100according to the first embodiment of the present technology. Note thatFIG. 10 illustrates an example communication process for a case in whichthe first wireless communication apparatus 200, the second wirelesscommunication apparatus 102, and the fourth wireless communicationapparatus 104 exist in the topology illustrated in FIG. 1. In addition,suppose that the user ID of the user who uses the first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200 is stored in a friend list management table(corresponding to the friend list management table 320 illustrated inFIG. 4) provided in the second wireless communication apparatus 102. Onthe other hand, suppose that the user ID of the user who uses the firstwireless communication apparatus 200 is not stored in either a friendlist management table or a blocked list management table (correspondingto the blocked list management table 330 illustrated in FIG. 5) providedin the fourth wireless communication apparatus 104.

The first wireless communication apparatus 200 announces discoveryinformation (including user information) to each wireless communicationapparatus present nearby (401 to 404). For example, the first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200 transmits a beacon including discoveryinformation to the second wireless communication apparatus 102 and thefourth wireless communication apparatus 104 present nearby (401 to 404).

Note that in FIG. 10, a numeral representing the wireless communicationapparatus that provides the service identified by the discoveryinformation is indicated in parentheses following the term “discoveryinformation”. In other words, discovery information (1) indicatesdiscovery information related to a service provided by the firstwireless communication apparatus 200. Also, discovery information (2)indicates discovery information related to a service provided by thesecond wireless communication apparatus 102.

In addition, the discovery information (1) related to a service providedby the first wireless communication apparatus 200 is transmitted as theservice information 157 and the user information 158 (illustrated inFIGS. 7A and 7B) (401 to 404). Note that the processing from 401 to 404is one example of a communication step described in the claims. Inaddition, the processing in 401 and 403 is an example of a control step.

The second wireless communication apparatus 102 and the fourth wirelesscommunication apparatus 104, by receiving the discovery information (1)from the first wireless communication apparatus 200, are able to detectwhat kind of service the source (first wireless communication apparatus200) provides.

Also, the second wireless communication apparatus 102 and the fourthwireless communication apparatus 104 conduct a determination process onthe basis of the user information included in the discovery information(1) from the first wireless communication apparatus 200 (405, 406).

Specifically, the second wireless communication apparatus 102 judgeswhether or not a match with the user ID included in the discoveryinformation (1) from the first wireless communication apparatus 200exists in the friend list management table (corresponding to the user ID322 illustrated in FIG. 4) (405). As discussed earlier, the user ID ofthe user who uses the first wireless communication apparatus 200 isstored in a friend list management table provided in the second wirelesscommunication apparatus 102. For this reason, the second wirelesscommunication apparatus 102 judges that a match with the user IDincluded in the discovery information (1) from the first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200 exists in the friend list management table(405).

In this way, if a matching user ID exists in the friend list managementtable (405), the second wireless communication apparatus 102 transmits aservice execution request to the first wireless communication apparatus200 (408, 409).

After receiving the service execution request (409), the first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200 reads out content (including supplementaryinformation) from the memory 300 according to the service executionrequest. Subsequently, the first wireless communication apparatus 200transmits the read-out content (including supplementary information) tothe second wireless communication apparatus 102 (413, 414). In otherwords, the first wireless communication apparatus 200 launches aprocedure for establishing a communication link with the second wirelesscommunication apparatus 102, transitions to a state enabling serviceprovision, and exchanges data with the second wireless communicationapparatus 102 (413, 414). Consequently, the second wirelesscommunication apparatus 102 is able to receive the desired service (413,414).

In this way, by mutually communicating discovery information, it ispossible to discover adjacent wireless communication apparatuses andreceivable services, and conduct peer-to-peer (P2P) communication.

Similarly, the fourth wireless communication apparatus 104 judgeswhether or not a match with the user ID included in the discoveryinformation (1) from the first wireless communication apparatus 200exists in the friend list management table (corresponding to the friendlist management table 320 illustrated in FIG. 4) (406). As discussedearlier, the user ID of the user who uses the first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200 is not stored in a friend list managementtable provided in the fourth wireless communication apparatus 104. Forthis reason, the fourth wireless communication apparatus 104 judges thata match with the user ID included in the discovery information (1) fromthe first wireless communication apparatus 200 does not exist in thefriend list management table (406).

In this way, when a matching user ID does not exist in the friend listmanagement table, the second wireless communication apparatus 102conducts a determination process using a blocked list management table(corresponding to the blocked list management table 330 illustrated inFIG. 5) (406). In other words, the second wireless communicationapparatus 102 judges whether or not a match with the user ID included inthe discovery information (1) from the first wireless communicationapparatus 200 exists in the blocked list management table (406).

As discussed earlier, the user ID of the user who uses the firstwireless communication apparatus 200 is not stored in a blocked listmanagement table provided in the fourth wireless communication apparatus104. For this reason, the fourth wireless communication apparatus 104judges that a match with the user ID included in the discoveryinformation (1) from the first wireless communication apparatus 200 doesnot exist in the blocked list management table (406).

In this way, when a matching user ID does not exist in either the friendlist management table or the blocked list management table (406), thefourth wireless communication apparatus 104 conducts a registrationprocess (407).

Specifically, the fourth wireless communication apparatus 104 causes aregistration screen to be displayed (for example, the registrationscreen 350 illustrated in FIG. 9). Subsequently, on the basis of useroperations using the registration screen, the fourth wirelesscommunication apparatus 104 conducts a registration process ofregistering the user ID included in the discovery information (1) ineither the friend list management table or the blocked list managementtable (407). For example, when a user operation for registering an entryin the friend list management table is conducted, the user ID includedin the discovery information (1) is stored in the friend list managementtable (corresponding to the user ID 322 illustrated in FIG. 4). On theother hand, when a user operation for registering an entry in theblocked list management table is conducted, the user ID included in thediscovery information (1) is stored in the blocked list management table(corresponding to the user ID 332 illustrated in FIG. 5). Note that auser operation that does not register an entry in either the friend listmanagement table or the blocked list management table may also beconducted. As another example, when multiple friend list managementtables (for example, multiple friend list management tables according tothe closeness of a friend) are provided, the registration process isconducted by conducting a user operation corresponding to each. Inaddition, when the user ID included in the discovery information (1) isregistered in the friend list management table according to a useroperation, the fourth wireless communication apparatus 104 may transmita service execution request to the first wireless communicationapparatus 200. The transmission of the service execution request andthereafter in this case is similar to the processing in 408, 409, 413,and 414.

In this way, the control unit 240 associates service information foridentifying a service provided by the first wireless communicationapparatus 200 with user information for identifying a user who uses thefirst wireless communication apparatus 200, and includes and transmitsthe associated information in discovery information. In addition, thecontrol unit 240 judges, on the basis of user information included indiscovery information, whether or not to receive a service according toservice information associated with the user information from the otherwireless communication apparatus that transmitted the discoveryinformation.

For example, the control unit 240 is able to judge whether or not toreceive a service, on the basis of whether or not user informationregistered in the friend list management table 320 matches userinformation included in received discovery information. As anotherexample, the control unit 240 is able to judge whether or not to receivea service, on the basis of whether or not user information registered inthe blocked list management table 330 matches user information includedin received data.

Note that FIG. 10 illustrates an example of registering an entry in afriend list management table or a blocked list management table on thebasis of a user operation. However, when a matching user ID does notexist in either the friend list management table or the blocked listmanagement table (406), the fourth wireless communication apparatus 104may also automatically register the user ID in the blocked listmanagement table (407). In this case, it is preferable to inform theuser before the registration process that the user ID will be registeredin the blocked list management table.

[Communication Example]

FIG. 10 illustrates an example of starting the provision of a service onthe basis of only a match determination at the wireless communicationapparatus on the receiving side. However, the provision of a service mayalso be started on the basis of a match determination at the wirelesscommunication apparatuses on both the transmitting side and thereceiving side. In other words, the provision of a service may bestarted on the condition that the user ID of the user using the wirelesscommunication apparatus acting as communication peer is registered in afriend list management table on both the transmitting side and thereceiving side. FIG. 11 illustrates such a communication example.

FIG. 11 is a sequence flowchart illustrating an exemplary communicationprocess among apparatuses constituting a communication system 100according to the first embodiment of the present technology. Note thatsince the exemplary communication process illustrated in FIG. 11 ispartial modification of the communication process illustrated in FIG.10, the parts shared in common with the communication processillustrated in FIG. 10 are denoted with the same signs, and some of thedescription thereof will be reduced or omitted. In addition, supposethat the user ID of the user who uses the second wireless communicationapparatus 102 is stored in the friend list management table 320(illustrated in FIG. 4) provided in the first wireless communicationapparatus 200.

If a matching user ID exists in the friend list management table (405),the second wireless communication apparatus 102, in order to report itsown presence, transmits discovery information (including userinformation) to the first wireless communication apparatus 200 (421,422). Note that the second wireless communication apparatus 102 may alsotransmit discovery information to the first wireless communicationapparatus 200 by announcing discovery information to each wirelesscommunication apparatus present nearby (for example, by transmitting abeacon) (421, 422).

In addition, if a matching user ID exists in the friend list managementtable (405), the second wireless communication apparatus 102 transmits aservice execution request in order to establish a relationship ofexchanging services with the first wireless communication apparatus 200(408, 409).

The first wireless communication apparatus 200, by receiving thediscovery information (2) from the second wireless communicationapparatus 102, is able to detect what kind of service the source (secondwireless communication apparatus 102) provides.

Also, the first wireless communication apparatus 200 conducts adetermination process using the user ID included in the discoveryinformation (2) from the second wireless communication apparatus 102(423). Note that this determination process (423) is similar to thedetermination process (405) discussed earlier.

As discussed earlier, the user ID of the user who uses the secondwireless communication apparatus 102 is stored in the friend listmanagement table 320 provided in the first wireless communicationapparatus 200. For this reason, the first wireless communicationapparatus 200 judges that a match with the user ID included in thediscovery information (2) from the second wireless communicationapparatus 102 exists in the friend list management table 320 (423).

Additionally, if a matching user ID exists in the friend list managementtable 320 (423), the first wireless communication apparatus 200transmits a service execution request in order to establish arelationship of exchanging services with the second wirelesscommunication apparatus 102 (424, 425).

In this way, a service execution request is transmitted from each of thefirst wireless communication apparatus 200 and the second wirelesscommunication apparatus 102 to the peer apparatus (408, 409, 424, 425).Consequently, service execution between the first wireless communicationapparatus 200 and the second wireless communication apparatus 102 isgranted, the apparatuses both transition to a state enabling serviceprovision with each other, and data is exchanged between the firstwireless communication apparatus 200 and the second wirelesscommunication apparatus 102 (426, 427). Consequently, the secondwireless communication apparatus 102 is able to receive the desiredservice (426, 427).

In other words, user information is checked between two wirelesscommunication apparatuses acting as communication peers, and theprovision of a desired service may be started only in the case ofjudging that the users who use the respective wireless communicationapparatuses belong to the same group.

[Example Operation of Wireless Communication Apparatus]

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing sequenceof a user information registration process by a first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200 according to the first embodiment of thepresent technology. FIG. 12 illustrates an example in which some kind ofID is input into the first wireless communication apparatus 200, andthat ID (user ID) is registered as user information. Also, FIG. 12illustrates an example of registering one user ID for one user.

First, the control unit 240 judges whether or not an input operation(including input by autocomplete or the like) of some kind of ID (forexample, an email address, or an ID used for web access) has beenconducted (step S901). For example, suppose that in the first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200, a program for registering user informationcontinually runs in the background and monitors whether an inputoperation of some kind of ID has been conducted. Subsequently, when aninput operation of some kind of ID is not conducted (step S901), themonitoring continues.

Meanwhile, when an input operation of some kind of ID is conducted (stepS901), the control unit 240 judges whether or not the user is registeredin the user information management table 310 (illustrated in FIG. 3)(step S902). Subsequently, if the user is not registered in the userinformation management table 310 (step S902), N (the managementinformation 311 illustrated in FIG. 3) is initialized to “0” (stepS903).

Next, the control unit 240 causes the display unit 280 to displayconfirmation information for registering the ID input by an inputoperation as user information (step S906). At this point, if the IDinput by an input operation is registered as user information, the IDmay be included in discovery information and transmitted, and the ID maybe displayed on another wireless communication apparatus. For thisreason, a confirmation screen is displayed to enable the user toauthorize whether or not the ID input by an input operation may be usedas user information to include in discovery information (whether or notthe ID may be disclosed to other users), and user authorization isobtained. Also, an operating button for performing an authorizationoperation (for example, a button that authorizes, and a button that doesnot authorize) may be displayed together with the confirmationinformation, for example.

Next, the control unit 240 judges whether or not the user conducted anauthorization operation after the confirmation information was displayedon the display unit 280 (step S907). Subsequently, if the user did notconduct an authorization operation (in other words, if an operationindicating non-authorization is conducted) (step S907), the ID input byan input operation is not registered as user information, and thus theprocess returns to step S901. On the other hand, if the user conductedan authorization operation (step S907), the control unit 240 conducts aregistration process for registering the ID input by an input operationas user information (step S908). For example, the ID input by an inputoperation is stored in the user ID 314 corresponding to the managementinformation 311 “N” of the user information management table 310illustrated in FIG. 3. Also, the class of the ID input by an inputoperation is stored in the ID class 313. Also, other information isstored as necessary, by user operations or automatically.

Meanwhile, if the user is not registered in the user informationmanagement table 310 (step S902), the control unit 240 judges whether ornot a setting allowing the registration of multiple users is configured(step S904). This setting is configured by a user operation in advance.Subsequently, if a setting allowing the registration of multiple usersis not configured (in other words, if a setting that only registers oneuser is configured) (step S904), the ID input by an input operation isnot registered as user information, and thus the process returns to stepS901. On the other hand, if a setting allowing the registration ofmultiple users is configured (step S904), N (the management information311 illustrated in FIG. 3) is incremented by “1” (step S905), and theprocess proceeds to step S906.

Note that, as illustrated in FIG. 3, it is also possible to registermultiple user IDs for one user. In this case, a user operation may beperformed to select the user under which to register the userinformation from among the already registered users, and the userinformation may be registered under the user selected by the useroperation. As another example, by monitoring an ID input by a user (forexample, monitoring a login ID or the like), it is possible to judgewhich user from among the already registered users.

[Example Operation of Wireless Communication Apparatus]

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing sequenceof a data communication process by a first wireless communicationapparatus 200 according to the first embodiment of the presenttechnology. FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a data communicationprocess when the first wireless communication apparatus 200 receivesdiscovery information (included in a beacon, for example).

First, the control unit 240 judges whether or not user information (theuser information 158 illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B) is included in thediscovery information (step S911). Subsequently, if user information isnot included in the discovery information (step S911), the operation ofthe data communication process ends.

On the other hand, if user information is included in the discoveryinformation (step S911), the control unit 240 judges whether or not amatch with the user ID included in the user information exists in thefriend list management table 320 (illustrated in FIG. 4) (step S912). Inother words, it is judged whether or not a connection should be madewith the wireless communication apparatus that transmitted the discoveryinformation. Specifically, the user ID included in the user information(the user ID 174 illustrated in FIG. 7B) is successively compared toeach user ID stored in the user ID 322 of the friend list managementtable 320. Subsequently, it is judged whether or not a matching user IDexists in the friend list management table 320.

If a matching user ID exists in the friend list management table 320(step S912), the control unit 240 updates the friend list managementtable 320 (step S913). Specifically, the control unit 240 performs anupdate by logging the communication time in the communication historyinformation 323 of the friend list management table 320 (step S913).

Next, the control unit 240 conducts a connection process for usingwireless communication to connect to the wireless communicationapparatus that transmitted the discovery information (step S914). Notethat it is possible to judge whether or not to receive a service fromthe wireless communication apparatus connected by the connectionprocess, on the basis of service information included in the discoveryinformation (the service information 157 illustrated in FIGS. 7A and7B). In addition, the user information and the service informationincluded in the discovery information may also be used to judge whetheror not a connection should be made with the wireless communicationapparatus that transmitted the discovery information.

Meanwhile, if a matching user ID does not exist in the friend listmanagement table 320 (step S912), a match determination using theblocked list management table 330 (illustrated in FIG. 5) is conducted(step S915). In other words, the control unit 240 judges whether or nota match with the user ID included in the user information exists in theblocked list management table 330 (illustrated in FIG. 5) (step S915).Specifically, the user ID included in the user information (the user ID174 illustrated in FIG. 7B) is successively compared to each user IDstored in the user ID 332 of the blocked list management table 330.Subsequently, it is judged whether or not a matching user ID exists inthe blocked list management table 330.

If a matching user ID exists in the blocked list management table 330(step S915), the operation of the data communication process ends. Inother words, a connection process is not conducted with the wirelesscommunication apparatus that transmitted the discovery information.

Meanwhile, if a matching user ID does not exist in the blocked listmanagement table 330 (step S915), the control unit 240 causes thedisplay unit 280 to display a registration screen for registering theuser information included in the discovery information (step S916). Forexample, the registration screen 350 illustrated in FIG. 9 is displayed.

Next, the control unit 240 judges whether or not a registrationoperation for registering the user information included in the discoveryinformation has been conducted (step S917). For example, if an operationof selecting the “Register” option of the registration selection 351illustrated in FIG. 9 is conducted, and an operation of pressing the OKbutton 356 is conducted, it is judged that a registration operation wasconducted. On the other hand, if an operation of selecting the “Do notregister” option of the registration selection 351 illustrated in FIG. 9is conducted, and an operation of pressing the OK button 356 isconducted, it is judged that a registration operation was not conducted.

Subsequently, is a registration operation is conducted (step S917), thecontrol unit 240 conducts a registration process of registering the userinformation included in the discovery information in the friend listmanagement table 320 (step S918). For example, the user ID included inthe user information (the user ID 174 illustrated in FIG. 7B) is storedin the user ID 322 illustrated in FIG. 4. In this case, the same IDclass 321 (illustrated in FIG. 4) as the ID class included in the userinformation (the ID class 173 illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B) is storedin association. Also, the communication time is logged in thecommunication history information 323 illustrated in FIG. 4. Next, thecontrol unit 240 conducts a connection process for using wirelesscommunication to connect to the wireless communication apparatus thattransmitted the discovery information (step S914).

Meanwhile, if a registration operation is not conducted (step S917), thecontrol unit 240 conducts a registration process of registering the userinformation included in the discovery information in the blocked listmanagement table 330 (step S919). For example, the user ID included inthe user information (the user ID 174 illustrated in FIG. 7B) is storedin the user ID 332 illustrated in FIG. 5. In this case, the same IDclass 331 (illustrated in FIG. 5) as the ID class included in the userinformation (the ID class 173 illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B) is storedin association.

Note that FIG. 13 illustrates an example of registering user informationfor which a matching user ID does not exist in either the friend listmanagement table 320 or the blocked list management table 330 in eithertable on the basis of a user operation. However, the inability toconduct such a user operation every time discovery information isreceived is also anticipated. For this reason, regarding userinformation for which a matching user ID does not exist, it may beconfigured so that such user information is not registered in either ofthe friend list management table 320 and the blocked list managementtable 330.

Also, although FIG. 13 illustrates an example of judging whether or notto register user information included in discovery information everytime the discovery information is received, a registration operation mayalso be conducted all at once on multiple sets of user information.

[Example of Conducting Match Determination Using External Apparatus]

The foregoing illustrates an example of conducting a match determinationusing a friend list management table provided in each wirelesscommunication apparatus. However, a match determination may also beconducted using an external apparatus. For example, a wirelesscommunication apparatus may use wireless communication to connect to anexternal apparatus, the external apparatus may conduct a matchdetermination using information provided in the external apparatus (forexample, information corresponding to a friend list management table),and the wireless communication apparatus may receive and use thedetermination result. Accordingly, FIG. 14 illustrates an example ofconducting a match determination using an external apparatus.

[Exemplary Configuration of Communication System]

FIG. 14 is a diagram that illustrates an exemplary system configurationof a communication system 400 according to a modification of the firstembodiment of the present technology.

The communication system 400 is equipped with a friend list managementserver 410, a public network 420, a communication control apparatus 430,a base station 431, a plurality of wireless communication apparatuses(first wireless communication apparatus 200, second wirelesscommunication apparatus 102, third wireless communication apparatus 103,and 4th wireless communication apparatus 104).

The public network 420 is a public network such as a telephone networkor the Internet. In addition, the public network 420 and thecommunication control apparatus 430 are connected via a gateway (notillustrated).

The communication control apparatus 430 is a communication controlapparatus managed by a telecommunications carrier that provides wirelesscommunication services, and conducts authentication control of wirelesscommunication apparatuses connected via the base station 431.Additionally, the communication control apparatus 430 connects anauthenticated wireless communication apparatus to the public network 420via a gateway (not illustrated).

In addition, the communication control apparatus 430 outputs variousinformation transmitted from each wireless communication apparatus viathe base station 431 to the friend list management server 410. Inaddition, the communication control apparatus 430 transmits variousinformation output from the friend list management server 410 to eachwireless communication apparatus via the base station 431.

The base station 431 is a base station operated by thetelecommunications carrier. In other words, the base station 431 ismobile communication base station (NodeB or eNodeB) that connects, via awireless link, a wireless communication apparatus holding contractedauthentication information according to the telecommunications carrierto the communication control apparatus 430 operated by thetelecommunications carrier.

The friend list management server 410 is equipped with a friend listmanagement database 411 and a determination unit 412.

The friend list management database 411 is a database for managing, foreach wireless communication apparatus, information related to a user whouses each wireless communication apparatus (user information). Note thatthe managed content of the friend list management database 411 will bedescribed in detail with reference to FIG. 15.

The determination unit 412 conducts a determination process using thefriend list management database 411 in response to a query from awireless communication apparatus, and transmits the determination resultto the wireless communication apparatus that transmitted the query. Notethat the determination process by the determination unit 412 is similarto the determination process discussed earlier.

In addition, each wireless communication apparatus (first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200, second wireless communication apparatus102, third wireless communication apparatus 103, and fourth wirelesscommunication apparatus 104) is approximately similar to FIG. 1. Forthis reason, the parts shared in common with the wireless communicationapparatus illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted with the same signs,and some of the description thereof will be reduced or omitted.

However, suppose that the communication unit 220 of the first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200 (illustrated in FIG. 2) is equipped with acommunication function for communicating with an access point or thelike of a mobile phone network or a public wireless LAN. For example,the communication unit 220 of the first wireless communication apparatus200 is equipped with a communication function such as 3rd Generation(3G), Long Term Evolution (LTE), or Wireless Fidelity (WiFi, registeredtrademark). In this case, the first wireless communication apparatus 200is able to access the Internet via the mobile phone network or thepublic wireless LAN. In addition, the first wireless communicationapparatus 200 is able to access the friend list management server 410via the base station 431, for example.

[Example Content of Friend List Management Database]

FIG. 15 is a diagram that schematically illustrates an example ofmanaged content in a friend list management database 411 stored inmemory 300 according to a modification of the first embodiment of thepresent technology.

The friend list management database 411 is a database for managing peers(for example, friends and acquaintances of the user) permitted to use awireless communication apparatus to receive various services.

Specifically, in the friend list management database 411, a terminal ID415, an ID class 416, and a user ID 417 are sorted by each wirelesscommunication apparatus and stored in association with each other.

The terminal ID 415 is terminal identification information (for example,a device-specific ID) for identifying a wireless communicationapparatus. The terminal ID 415 stores an International Mobile EquipmentIdentity (IMEI), for example. Note that although an IMEI is expressed asa 15-digit number, for the sake of simplicity, FIG. 15 illustrates onlya comparatively simple number for the terminal ID 415. Also, as anexample, suppose that the terminal ID 415 “1234” corresponds to thefirst wireless communication apparatus 200.

Note that the ID class 416 and the user ID 417 correspond to the IDclass 321 and the user ID 322 illustrated in FIG. 4.

[Example Operation of Wireless Communication Apparatus]

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing sequenceof a data communication process by a first wireless communicationapparatus 200 according to a modification of the first embodiment of thepresent technology. Note that this processing sequence is a partialmodification of the processing sequence illustrated in FIG. 13. For thisreason, the parts shared in common with the processing sequenceillustrated in FIG. 13 are denoted with the same signs, and some of thedescription thereof will be reduced or omitted.

If a matching user ID does not exist in the blocked list managementtable 330 (step S915), the control unit 240 judges whether or not asetting allowing external querying is configured (step S920). Thissetting is configured by a user operation in advance. As anotherexample, the control unit 240 may judge whether or not external queryingis available, and if external querying is available, confirm with theuser whether or not to conduct external querying. In addition, if asetting allowing external querying is not configured (in other words, ifa setting prohibiting external querying is configured) (step S920), theprocess proceeds to step S916.

Meanwhile, if a setting allowing external querying is configured (stepS920), the control unit 240 conducts an external querying process (stepS921). Specifically, the control unit 240 accesses the friend listmanagement server 410 via the base station 431, and transmits userinformation included in discovery information to the determination unit412 of the friend list management server 410 (step S921).

Upon receiving the user information, the determination unit 412 judgeswhether or not a match with the user ID included in the user informationexists in the friend list management database 411 (illustrated in FIG.14). Subsequently, if a matching user ID exists in the friend listmanagement database 411, the determination unit 412 transmits adetermination result indicating that a matching user ID exists (matchinformation) to the first wireless communication apparatus 200 via thebase station 431. On the other hand, if a matching user ID does notexist in the friend list management database 411, the determination unit412 transmits a determination result indicating that a matching user IDdoes not exist (non-match information) to the first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200 via the base station 431.

Next, the control unit 240 judges whether or not match information wasreceived after the external querying process (step S922). Subsequently,if match information was not received (in other words, if non-matchinformation was received) (step S922), the process proceeds to stepS916. On the other hand, if match information was received (step S922),the process proceeds to step S918.

Note that although FIG. 16 illustrates an example of automaticallyregistering user information included in discovery information in thefriend list management table 320 if match information is received afteran external querying process, the registration may also be conductedafter a confirmation operation by the user. In addition, when non-matchinformation is received after an external querying process, userinformation included in discovery information may be registeredautomatically or manually in the blocked list management table 330.Consequently, when the same user information is received, conductinganother external query is not necessary.

In addition, FIG. 16 illustrates an example in which the friend listmanagement server 410 conducts a determination process using the friendlist management database 411 when a matching user ID does not exist ineither the friend list management table 320 or the blocked listmanagement table 330. However, user information stored in the friendlist management database 411 may also be supplied to the first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200, and the first wireless communicationapparatus 200 may use the supplied user information to conduct adetermination process. Note that user information supplied to the firstwireless communication apparatus 200 may be taken to be only informationthat does not pose a security problem (for example, information that hasbeen authorized in advance by the user).

Note that recently, technology that registers a friend list using asocial network service (SNS) has proliferated widely. For this reason,an SNS may also be used to conduct a match determination.

2. Second Embodiment

The first embodiment of the present technology illustrates an example inwhich only user information provided in the wireless communicationapparatus (local apparatus) that is the transmission source of discoveryinformation is included in the discovery information and transmitted. Atthis point, as discussed earlier, it is possible to include and transmitservice information provided by a wireless communication apparatus(other apparatus) other than the wireless communication apparatus (localapparatus) that is the transmission source of discovery information inthe discovery information. For this reason, as an example, it isconceivable to include and transmit user information provided in awireless communication apparatus (other apparatus) other than thewireless communication apparatus (local apparatus) that is thetransmission source of discovery information in the discoveryinformation.

Accordingly, a second embodiment of the present technology illustratesan example in which user information provided in a wirelesscommunication apparatus (other apparatus) other than the wirelesscommunication apparatus (local apparatus) that is the transmissionsource of discovery information is included in the discovery informationand transmitted. Note that the communication system according to thesecond embodiment of the present technology is approximately similar tothe communication system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1. For this reason, theparts shared in common with the communication system 100 are denotedwith the same signs, and some of the description thereof will be reducedor omitted.

[Example Format of Discovery Information]

FIGS. 17 and 18 are diagrams illustrating an example format of a beacontransmitted by each wireless communication apparatus constituting acommunication system 100 according to the second embodiment of thepresent technology. Note that FIG. 17 illustrates an example format ofother apparatus service information 502 included in a beacon 600, whileFIG. 18 illustrates an example format of other apparatus userinformation 504 included in a beacon 600. Also, the beacon 600 is apartial modification of the beacon 150 illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B.For this reason, the parts shared in common with the beacon 150 aredenoted with the same signs, and some of the description thereof will bereduced or omitted.

The beacon 600 is the result of treating the service information 157 inthe beacon 150 illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B as local apparatus serviceinformation 501, treating the user information 158 as local apparatususer information 503, and adding other apparatus service information 502and other apparatus user information 504.

The other apparatus service information 502 is information related to aservice provided by a wireless communication apparatus present near thesource wireless communication apparatus (other apparatus serviceinformation). Note that the local apparatus service information 501 andthe other apparatus service information 502 corresponds to the discoveryinformation.

As illustrated in FIG. 17, the other apparatus service information 502is made up of information fields, namely an element ID 511, a length512, wireless communication apparatus IDs [0] to [P] 513, and serviceannouncement fields [0] to [P] 514.

Note that the other apparatus service information 502 stores informationthat is basically similar to the local apparatus service information 501(same as the service information 157 illustrated in FIG. 7A), butdiffers by additionally storing the wireless communication apparatus IDs[0] to [P] 513. In other words, the element ID 511 and the length 512correspond to the element ID 160 and the length 161 illustrated in FIG.7A. In addition, the wireless communication apparatus IDs [0] to [P] 513and the service announcement fields [0] to [P] 514 are placed in pairsfor each service provided by a wireless communication apparatus.

The wireless communication apparatus IDs [0] to [P] 513 are an ID foridentifying a corresponding wireless communication apparatus (forexample, a nearby wireless communication apparatus). In other words, thewireless communication apparatus IDs [0] to [P] 513 are informationindicating which wireless communication apparatus provides the serviceof the paired service announcement field.

The service announcement fields [0] to [P] 514 are made up of one or aplurality of (for example, P) service announcement fields. Note that theservice announcement fields [0] to [P] 514 are similar to the serviceannouncement fields [0] to [N] 162 illustrated in FIG. 7A, except thatinformation related to another wireless communication apparatus (awireless communication apparatus other than the wireless communicationapparatus that transmits the beacon) is stored.

In other words, the combinations of the wireless communication apparatusIDs [0] to [P] 513 and the service announcement fields [0] to [P] 514(that is, P combinations) are equal to the number of services thatshould be reported to the wireless communication apparatus thattransmits the beacon.

The other apparatus user information 504 is information related to auser who uses a wireless communication apparatus present near the sourcewireless communication apparatus (other apparatus user information).Note that the local apparatus user information 503 and the otherapparatus user information 504 corresponds to the discovery information.

As illustrated in FIG. 18, the other apparatus user information 504 ismade up of information fields, namely an element ID 521, a length 522,wireless communication apparatus IDs [0] to [Q] 523, and user ID fields[0] to [Q] 524.

Note that the other device user information 504 stores information thatis basically similar to the local device user information 503 (the sameas the user information 158 illustrated in FIG. 7B), but differs byadditionally storing the wireless communication apparatus IDs [0] to [Q]524. In other words, the element ID 521 and the length 522 correspond tothe element ID 170 and the length 171 illustrated in FIG. 7B. Inaddition, the wireless communication apparatus IDs [0] to [Q] 523 andthe user ID fields [0] to [Q] 524 are placed in pairs for each user IDof a user who uses a wireless communication apparatus.

The wireless communication apparatus IDs [0] to [Q] 523 are an ID foridentifying a corresponding wireless communication apparatus (forexample, a nearby wireless communication apparatus). In other words, thewireless communication apparatus IDs [0] to [Q] 523 are informationindicating which wireless communication apparatus includes the user IDof the paired user ID field.

The user ID fields [0] to [Q] 524 are made up of one or a plurality of(for example, Q) user ID fields. Note that the user ID fields [0] to [Q]524 are similar to the user ID fields [0] to [M] 172 illustrated in FIG.7B, except that information related to another wireless communicationapparatus (a wireless communication apparatus other than the wirelesscommunication apparatus that transmits the beacon) is stored.

In other words, the combinations of the wireless communication apparatusIDs [0] to [Q] 523 and the user ID fields [0] to [Q] 524 (that is, Qcombinations) are equal to the number of user IDs that should beannounced by the wireless communication apparatus that transmits thebeacon.

At this point, since user information corresponds to personalinformation, it is also possible to limit the forwarding of userinformation to other wireless communication apparatuses. For example,limit information for imposing a forwarding limit on user informationmay be stored in the user ID fields [0] to [Q] 524. This limitinformation may be stored as, for example, information indicatingwhether the forwarding of user information is allowed or not allowed,and information indicating an available forwarding count (for example,one time) when the forwarding of user information is allowed. Herein, itis anticipated that user information includes information that may beforwarded and information that should be kept private (information forwhich forwarding is undesirable). For example, among the userinformation, it is anticipated that some users may allow a nickname tobe forwarded and become known to other users, but not want their realname to be forwarded and become known to other users. In addition, it isanticipated that some users may allow their real name to be forwardedand become known to other users, but not want their birthday or addressto be forwarded and become known to other users. In this way, since theprivacy level differs depending on the user, it is possible to store, asthe limit information, information (privacy information) for specifyingthe content that should be kept private when the forwarding of userinformation is allowed. Subsequently, among the user information,content specified by the privacy information may not be forwarded, whileother information may be forwarded.

In addition, a wireless communication apparatus that receives discoveryinformation including the user ID fields [0] to [Q] 524 storing limitinformation judges, on the basis of the limit information, whether ornot to forward the user information included in the discoveryinformation. Also, if privacy information is stored as the limitinformation, the user information to be forwarded is limited accordingto the content. As another example, it is also possible to store limitinformation indicating that forwarding is allowed on the condition thata match is determined at the destination wireless communicationapparatus. In this case, user information is transmitted among friendsas discovery information, for example.

Here, an example of communication of the discovery information. Forexample, if the second wireless communication apparatus 102 to thefourth wireless communication apparatus 104 illustrated in FIG. 1receive discovery information from the first wireless communicationapparatus 200, each apparatus itself operates as a relay node in amulti-hop relay. Consequently, the second wireless communicationapparatus 102 to the fourth wireless communication apparatus 104 areable to inform relay destinations of the services that the firstwireless communication apparatus 200 is able to provide. In other words,discovery information transmitted by the second wireless communicationapparatus 102 and the fourth wireless communication apparatus 104 maypartially include services that are provided from the first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200.

By repeatedly transmitting and receiving discovery information in thisway, it becomes possible to provide discovery information about thefirst wireless communication apparatus 200 to every corner of thenetwork. In other words, by including discovery information in aperiodically transmitted beacon, each wireless communication apparatusis able to announce providable services to nearby wireless communicationapparatuses. In addition, by receiving beacons, each wirelesscommunication apparatus is able to discover wireless communicationapparatuses present nearby, and at the same time also detect whichservices are being provided by the discovered wireless communicationapparatuses.

Meanwhile, by limiting the packet forwarding count as discussed above,it is possible to limit the communication peers able that the firstwireless communication apparatus 200 may connect to. In this way, bylimiting the forwarding count, the range over which to transmitdiscovery information about the first wireless communication apparatus200 may be adjusted. Consequently, overhead may be decreased.

[Example of Transmitting and Receiving Discovery Information]

FIG. 19 is a diagram that schematically illustrates a flow of discoveryinformation transmitted and received in a communication system 100according to the second embodiment of the present technology. FIG. 19schematically illustrates a flow for a case in which discoveryinformation (included in a beacon) is transmitted in order from theseventh wireless communication apparatus 107, to the second wirelesscommunication apparatus 102, to the first wireless communicationapparatus 200. Also, FIG. 19 illustrates an example of transmitting andreceiving in the case in which a forwarding limit is not imposed on theuser information.

The beacon 601 indicates a beacon transmitted by the seventh wirelesscommunication apparatus 107 to the second wireless communicationapparatus 102, while the beacon 602 indicates a beacon transmitted bythe second wireless communication apparatus 102 to the first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200.

For example, suppose that “A” is stored in the user ID 314 of the userinformation management table 310 of the seventh wireless communicationapparatus 107, and “B” is stored in the user ID 314 of the userinformation management table 310 of the second wireless communicationapparatus 102. In addition, suppose that “A” and “B” are stored in theuser ID 322 of the friend list management table 320 of the firstwireless communication apparatus 200.

In this case, the first wireless communication apparatus 200 is able todetermine a match for both the user ID “A” provided in the seventhwireless communication apparatus 107 and the user ID “B” provided in thesecond wireless communication apparatus 102. However, since the firstwireless communication apparatus 200 and the seventh wirelesscommunication apparatus 107 do not communicate directly, with thediscovery information illustrated in the first embodiment of the presenttechnology, the user ID “A” of the seventh wireless communicationapparatus 107 cannot be transmitted to the first wireless communicationapparatus 200. Accordingly, in the second embodiment of the presenttechnology, the user ID “A” provided in the seventh wirelesscommunication apparatus 107 is transmitted to the first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200 via the second wireless communicationapparatus 102 as other apparatus user information 504. Consequently, thefirst wireless communication apparatus 200 is able to conduct adetermination process on the user ID “A” provided in the seventhwireless communication apparatus 107, and received a service from theseventh wireless communication apparatus 107 via the second wirelesscommunication apparatus 102.

First, the control unit 240 of the seventh wireless communicationapparatus 107 generates discovery information (local apparatus userinformation 503 (user ID: A)) on the basis of the user ID stored in theuser information management table 310 of the seventh wirelesscommunication apparatus 107. Next, the control unit 240 of the seventhwireless communication apparatus 107 includes the generated discoveryinformation (local apparatus user information 503 (user ID: A)) in thebeacon 601, and transmits to the second wireless communication apparatus102. In this case, service information related to a service provided bythe seventh wireless communication apparatus 107 is transmitted as thelocal apparatus service information 501.

The control unit 240 of the second wireless communication apparatus 102receives the beacon 601, and conducts a determination process on thebasis of the discovery information (local apparatus user information 503(user ID: A)) included in the received beacon 601. Note that since thedetermination process is similar to the first embodiment of the presenttechnology, a description herein will be omitted.

In addition, the control unit 240 of the second wireless communicationapparatus 102 temporarily stores the local apparatus user information503 (user ID: A) included in the received beacon 601 in the memory 300of the second wireless communication apparatus 102. In this case, thelocal apparatus service information 501 included in the received beacon601 is also temporarily stored in the memory 300 of the second wirelesscommunication apparatus 102.

In addition, the control unit 240 of the second wireless communicationapparatus 102 generates discovery information on the basis of the userID stored in the user information management table 310 of the secondwireless communication apparatus 102. At this point, in the exampleillustrated in FIG. 19, “B” is stored in the user ID 314 of the userinformation management table 310. For this reason, the second wirelesscommunication apparatus 102 includes discovery information related tothe user ID “A” temporarily stored in the memory 300 and the user ID “B”stored in the user information management table 310 in the beacon 602,and transmits to the first wireless communication apparatus 200. Inother words, the user ID “A” provided in the seventh wirelesscommunication apparatus 107 is transmitted as the other apparatus userinformation 504, and the user ID “B” provided in the second wirelesscommunication apparatus 102 is transmitted as the local apparatus userinformation 503. In addition, service information related to a serviceprovided by the seventh wireless communication apparatus 107 istransmitted as the other apparatus service information 502, and aservice provided by the second wireless communication apparatus 102 istransmitted as the local apparatus service information 501.

The control unit 240 of the first wireless communication apparatus 200receives the beacon 602, and conducts a determination process on thebasis of the discovery information (local apparatus user information 503(user ID: A), other apparatus user information 504 (user ID: B))included in the received beacon 602. In this case, the control unit 240of the first wireless communication apparatus 200 conducts adetermination process on each of the local apparatus user information503 (user ID: A) and the other apparatus user information 504 (user ID:B). In other words, a match determination is conducted on each of theuser ID “A” provided in the seventh wireless communication apparatus 107and the user ID “B” provided in the second wireless communicationapparatus 102.

As illustrated in FIG. 19, “A” and “B” are stored in the user ID 322 ofthe friend list management table 320 of the first wireless communicationapparatus 200. For this reason, each of the user ID “A” provided in theseventh wireless communication apparatus 107 and the user ID “B”provided in the second wireless communication apparatus 102 aredetermined to match the user ID 322 of the friend list management table320. In this case, the first wireless communication apparatus 200 isable to receive a service from the second wireless communicationapparatus 102, and also receive a service from the seventh wirelesscommunication apparatus 107 via the second wireless communicationapparatus 102.

In addition, the control unit 240 of the first wireless communicationapparatus 200 temporarily stores the local apparatus user information503 (user ID: A) and the other apparatus user information 504 (user ID:B) included in the received beacon 602 in the memory 300. Subsequently,the control unit 240 includes and transmits discovery informationrelated to the user ID stored in the user information management table310 and the temporarily stored user IDs “A” and “B” (local apparatususer information 503, other apparatus user information 504) in a beacon.Also, respective service information is similarly included in the beaconand transmitted.

In this way, the control unit 240 associates service information anduser information, and includes and transmits the associated informationin discovery information. For example, it is possible to associate andtransmit service information for identifying a service provided by atleast one of the first wireless communication apparatus 200 and anotherwireless communication apparatus with user information for identifying auser who uses a wireless communication apparatus that provides theservice. In this case, for example, it is possible to associate andtransmit user information related to a user who uses the first wirelesscommunication apparatus 200 (first user information) and userinformation included in discovery information transmitted from anotherwireless communication apparatus (second user information). At thispoint, for the second user information, only second user information forwhich forwarding is allowed may be included in the discovery informationand transmitted.

In this way, in an embodiment of the present technology, when nearbywireless communication apparatuses communicate with each other,discovery information, including service information and associated userinformation for identifying a user who uses a wireless communicationapparatus that provides the service, is transmitted and received. Byexchanging service information in this way, a service provided by thelocal apparatus or another apparatus may be reported efficiently to anearby wireless communication apparatus. In addition, since userinformation is associated with the service information and transmitted,a user who uses a wireless communication apparatus that provides aservice may be identified, making it possible to easily and efficientlyjudge which wireless communication apparatuses are trustworthy. Forexample, when the user identified by the user information is in one'sown circle (a friend or acquaintance), the wireless communicationapparatus used by that user may be judged to be trustworthy. As aresult, it is possible to easily and safely exchange services usingwireless communication among nearby wireless communication apparatuses.

The above-described embodiments are examples for embodying the presenttechnology, and matters in the embodiments each have a correspondingrelationship with disclosure-specific matters in the claims. Likewise,the matters in the embodiments and the disclosure-specific matters inthe claims denoted by the same names have a corresponding relationshipwith each other. However, the present technology is not limited to theembodiments, and various modifications of the embodiments may beembodied in the scope of the present technology without departing fromthe spirit of the present technology.

The processing sequences that are described in the embodiments describedabove may be handled as a method having a series of sequences or may behandled as a program for causing a computer to execute the series ofsequences and recording medium storing the program. As the recordingmedium, a hard disk, a CD (Compact Disc), an MD (MiniDisc), and a DVD(Digital Versatile Disk), a memory card, and a Blu-ray disc (registeredtrademark) can be used.

Additionally, the present technology may also be configured as below.

(1)

A wireless communication apparatus including:

a communication unit configured to use wireless communication totransmit and receive data related to a service provided by at least oneof the wireless communication apparatus and another wirelesscommunication apparatus with other wireless communication apparatusespresent within a designated range; and

a control unit configured to associate service information foridentifying the service with user information for identifying a userusing a wireless communication apparatus that provides the service, andinclude and transmit the associated information in the data.

(2)

The wireless communication apparatus according to (1), wherein

when the data is received, the control unit judges, on the basis of theuser information included in the data, whether or not to receive aservice according to the service information associated with the userinformation from another wireless communication apparatus according tothe user information.

(3)

The wireless communication apparatus according to (2), wherein

the control unit judges whether or not to receive the service, on thebasis of whether or not the user information included in the receiveddata matches the user information registered in an allow list.

(4)

The wireless communication apparatus according to (3), wherein

the control unit judges whether or not to receive the service, on thebasis of a result of a match determination using the allow list storedin a storage unit or the allow list stored in an external apparatus.

(5)

The wireless communication apparatus according to any one of (2) to (4),wherein

the control unit judges whether or not to receive the service, on thebasis of whether or not the user information included in the receiveddata matches the user information registered in a blocked list.

(6)

The wireless communication apparatus according to any one of (1) to (5),wherein

the control unit includes, in the data, and transmits first userinformation which is the user information according to a user using thewireless communication apparatus, and second user information which isthe user information included in the data transmitted from anotherwireless communication apparatus, and also the user informationaccording to a user using the other wireless communication apparatus.

(7)

The wireless communication apparatus according to (6), wherein

the control unit includes only the second user information for whichforwarding is allowed in the data and transmits the data.

(8)

A wireless communication apparatus including:

a communication unit configured to transmit and receive data related toa service provided by at least one of the wireless communicationapparatus and another wireless communication apparatus, the dataincluding information associating service information for identifyingthe service with user information for identifying a user using awireless communication apparatus that provides the service; and

a control unit that, when the data is received, judges, on the basis ofthe user information included in the data, whether or not to receive aservice according to the service information associated with the userinformation from another wireless communication apparatus according tothe user information.

(9)

A communication system including:

a first wireless communication apparatus provided with a communicationunit configured to use wireless communication to transmit and receivedata related to a service provided by at least one of the wirelesscommunication apparatus and another wireless communication apparatuswith other wireless communication apparatuses present within adesignated range, and a control unit configured to associate serviceinformation for identifying the service with user information foridentifying a user using a wireless communication apparatus thatprovides the service, and include and transmit the associatedinformation in the data; and

a second wireless communication apparatus provided with a communicationunit that transmits and receives the data, and a control unit that, whenthe data is received, judges, on the basis of the user informationincluded in the data, whether or not to receive a service according tothe service information associated with the user information fromanother wireless communication apparatus according to the userinformation.

(10)

A wireless communication apparatus control method including:

a communicating step of using wireless communication to transmit andreceive data related to a service provided by at least one of thewireless communication apparatus and another wireless communicationapparatus with other wireless communication apparatuses present within adesignated range; and

a controlling step of associating service information for identifyingthe service with user information for identifying a user using awireless communication apparatus that provides the service, andincluding and transmitting the associated information in the data.

(11)

A program causing a computer to execute:

a communicating step of using wireless communication to transmit andreceive data related to a service provided by at least one of thewireless communication apparatus and another wireless communicationapparatus with other wireless communication apparatuses present within adesignated range; and

a controlling step of associating service information for identifyingthe service with user information for identifying a user using awireless communication apparatus that provides the service, andincluding and transmitting the associated information in the data.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   100 communication system-   102 second wireless communication apparatus-   103 third wireless communication apparatus-   104 fourth wireless communication apparatus-   105 fifth wireless communication apparatus-   106 sixth wireless communication apparatus-   107 seventh wireless communication apparatus-   108 eighth wireless communication apparatus-   109 ninth wireless communication apparatus-   110 10th wireless communication apparatus-   111 11th wireless communication apparatus-   112 12th wireless communication apparatus-   113 13th wireless communication apparatus-   200 first wireless communication apparatus-   210 antenna-   220 communication unit-   230 I/O interface-   240 control unit-   250 bus-   260 movement detection unit-   270 operation receiving unit-   280 display unit-   290 audio output unit-   300 memory-   400 communication system-   410 friend list management server-   411 friend list management database-   412 determination unit-   420 public network-   430 communication control apparatus-   431 base station

1. A first wireless communication apparatus, comprising: circuitryconfigured to: connect to a wireless mesh network with a plurality ofwireless communication apparatuses; receive a first signal transmittedby a second wireless communication apparatus, wherein the received firstsignal includes first user information related to a user of the secondwireless communication apparatus; store a block list generated based onthe first user information and a service of a plurality of services; andcontrol to prohibit communication for the service between the wirelessmesh network and the second wireless communication apparatus based on aresult of a comparison between the first user information and the blocklist, wherein the first user information is included in the block listof the service.
 2. The first wireless communication apparatus accordingto claim 1, wherein: the circuitry is further configured to determine,based on the first user information included in the received firstsignal, whether to receive a second signal associated with at least oneservice of the plurality of services provided by the second wirelesscommunication apparatus, and the second signal is received from thesecond wireless communication apparatus.
 3. The first wirelesscommunication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry isfurther configured to determine whether to receive the second signalassociated with the at least one service based on the result of thecomparison.
 4. The first wireless communication apparatus according toclaim 2, wherein the circuitry is further configured to determinewhether to receive the second signal associated with the at least oneservice based on the result of the comparison.
 5. The first wirelesscommunication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the block list isstored in one of the first wireless communication apparatus or anexternal apparatus.
 6. The first wireless communication apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein: the first user information includes atleast one user identifier class, the at least one user identifier classindicates a class of a corresponding user identifier of a plurality ofuser identifiers, and the at least one user identifier class is based ona unique identifier.
 7. A method, comprising: in a first wirelesscommunication apparatus of a plurality of wireless communicationapparatuses: connecting to a wireless mesh network with the plurality ofwireless communication apparatuses; receiving a first signal transmittedby a second wireless communication apparatus, wherein the received firstsignal includes first user information related to a user of the secondwireless communication apparatus; storing a block list generated basedon the first user information and a service of a plurality of services;and controlling to prohibit communication for the service between thewireless mesh network and the second wireless communication apparatusbased on a result of a comparison between the first user information andthe block list, wherein the first user information is included in theblock list of the service.
 8. The method according to claim 7, furthercomprising: determining, based on the first user information included inthe received first signal, whether to receive a second signal associatedwith at least one service of the plurality of services provided by thesecond wireless communication apparatus, and wherein the second signalis received from the second wireless communication apparatus.
 9. Themethod according to claim 8, further comprising determining whether toreceive the second signal associated with the at least one service basedon the result of the comparison.
 10. The method according to claim 8,further comprising determining whether to receive the second signalassociated with the at least one service based on the result of thecomparison.
 11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the block listis stored in one of the first wireless communication apparatus or anexternal apparatus.
 12. The method according to claim 7, wherein: thefirst user information includes at least one user identifier class, theat least one user identifier class indicates a class of a correspondinguser identifier of a plurality of user identifiers, and the at least oneuser identifier class is based on a unique identifier.